On the outskirts of Paris, former Socialist minister Christiane Taubira, a respected figure among the party's base who has said she is "considering" running for president, frets over the country's fractured Left, saying: "We are still deadlocked and no sign of unity seems possible." With under 100 days to go before the vote, the country's multiple leftwing parties are facing near-certain elimination in the first round -- unless they heed calls to unify behind a single candidate. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES